Social, local, mobile are three words marketers are hearing more and more these days.

And sometimes we may even hear them uttered together in one breath as SoLoMo.

With an increase of users relying on mobile phones, tablets and their accompanying geo-location technology, businesses today are increasingly finding the need to think locally. So, how does SoLoMo work for businesses?

In this post, we'll introduce 26 tips, an A-Z guide for location-based marketing.

Ask any marketer about trends for 2011 and you'll undoubtedly hear the phrase "location-based services." However, among Foursquare, Facebook Places, SCVNGR, Gowalla and many others, marketers have a lot to choose from.

In this article we'll cover the two major players—Foursquare and Facebook Places—and see how they stack up.

What are location-based services?

Location-based services allow users to connect with others based on their current locations. In most cases, people use their smartphones (iPhone, Android,

Are you looking for that competitive edge? Want to know what your peers are up to?

Using social media to research competitors can provide useful information for any business looking to create a smart strategy. Learning about your competitors' activities can give you insight into what works and what doesn't.

The beauty of social media is that there's a ton of information about your competitors that is public. And not only is their strategy public, but the reaction to that strategy is public as well. Let's take a look at

Geolocation is one of the hottest trends in social networking today. Users enjoy connecting with friends at nearby locations. Businesses are beginning to take note of the opportunity to tie their brick-and-mortar locations to their online marketing.

In addition to the main local social networking applications—Foursquare and Gowalla—Google, Facebook and Twitter have added geolocation features to their services to tap into this trend.

As users provide more information about their location, serious privacy

In this video I interview Brian Solis author of the best selling book Engage! Brian shares how his Social Media Manifesto became a rallying cry and led to the "Engage or Die" slogan he now uses on his website.

You'll also learn why social media can do more for businesses today and what businesses need to look for in geo-location tools. There are more opportunities today for businesses to engage with their customers and Brian gives you insights into how to convert this engagement into

I'm always surprised at how few retail spaces take advantage of Twitter and Facebook (yes, there are exceptions). The costs are low, the risks are manageable and your customers are already using the platforms.

By engaging customers "where they live," you can increase the foot traffic to your shop and grow your business.

Here are 5 steps to grow your retail business using Facebook and Twitter.

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